Northstar Session to return to Northstar California with new songs, warm clothing

Aptly named indie rock band the Northstar Session return to Northstar California's outdoor stage for a pair of shows, with new songs and hopefully a space heater or two.
Photo courtesy Samantha Barrows / LaLa Land Rocknroll Photography

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TRUCKEE, Calif. - Indie rock band the Northstar Session from L.A. are back at Northstar California for two free shows, Friday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 10. Take a ski break in the Village plaza and listen to a unique blend of rock, folk, harmonies and intelligent songwriting.

The band has new songs to debut this time around. During a break from touring these past couple of months, Northstar began work on songs for an upcoming album. Lake Tahoe Action caught up with singer and guitarist Matt Szlachetka last week as he prepared for another year of touring with his band.

"We've had a blast working on these songs so far. They are all really starting to take shape and we're getting more comfortable with them every rehearsal and are excited to start playing these songs at our shows," Szlachetka said.

The new songs are a work in progress. The band, which also includes Dave Basaraba on keyboards and Kane McGee on drums and percussion, has decided to live and breathe with them for a while before committing them to vinyl.

"Our plan of attack is to keep learning the new songs we've written and integrate them into our 2013 tour schedule," Szlachetka said. "We want to see if anything changes from the initial arrangements we came up with. We're planning on playing these out all year so that way we can be super comfortable with them by the time we record our album at the end of the year."

Northstar has decided to crowd-source their next project, perhaps with the popular website Kickstarter, a site that provides artists with the tools needed to raise funds for creative projects via crowd funding.

"Not sure which method we'll use, but we're definitely going to have some kind of pledge drive set up to help finance the upcoming studio album. Stay tuned," Szlachetka said.

The band will play at 2 p.m. on Friday and Sunday, on the main stage next to the ice rink. Rent some skates and glide (or stumble) across the ice to the sounds of the Northstar Session, or huddle around the fire pits with a cup of cocoa, or maybe something stronger. But take a cue from the band, who has played chilly mid-winter shows outside at Northstar before: dress warmly.

Said Szlachetka, "We're all going to be bundled up like Randy from 'A Christmas Story!' " You should, too, for maximum enjoyment of a band that you won't want to miss.